Michael Steele hopes the Obama agenda succeeds and, by the way, Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer

After Tussle on G.O.P. Title, an Apology to Limbaugh: New York Times

WASHINGTON — The new chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, apologized to Rush Limbaugh on Monday after describing him in a television interview over the weekend as an “entertainer” who made incendiary and sometimes ugly remarks, party officials said.

Mr. Steele called Mr. Limbaugh after the radio host belittled Mr. Steele on his show, questioning his authority and saying the new Republican leader was off “to a shaky start.”

“It’s time, Mr. Steele, for you to go behind the scenes and start doing the work that you were elected to do instead of trying to be some talking head media star, which you’re having a tough time pulling off,” Mr. Limbaugh said in a transcript of his remarks posted on his Web site.

“You are head of the R.N.C.,” Mr. Limbaugh said. “You are not head of the Republican Party. Tens of millions of conservatives and Republicans have nothing to do with the R.N.C., and right now they want nothing to do with it.”

What Steele said can't be taken back. "...Rush Limbaugh, the whole thing is entertainment. Yes, it’s incendiary. Yes, it’s ugly."

That quote is going to used by Dems to drive a wedge between the Conservative movement and the Republican party until Steele's term is over or Rush is off the air.

Rather than damaging Rush, it backfired on Steele. He's lost what limited credibility he had with the conservative movement. He's got to have spend time getting some trust back -- so does he want Obama's agenda to succeed? Is he so inarticulate that he can't separate the country, from its government, and from the current administration?

What Steele needs to do as RNC Chairman is end the open primary in states where the party can do so, and, above all, stop New Hampshire and South Carolina from being the first primary states.

My suggestion (actually, I forgot who came up with this...) is to have a lottery between Thanksgiving 2011 and January 1, 2012 and pick the first primary states at random.

Part of the reason why Rush has 20 million listeners is not as he sarcastically suggested his song and dance routines, but his political insights.